Part of plane engine cover fell off in flight, travelers say

November 18, 2017

In this Friday, Nov. 17, 2017, photo provided by passenger Don Bumps shows a SkyWest plane in southern Utah, which lost a piece of the plane's engine during a flight from St. George, Utah. Passengers Scott Jackson and Don Bumps say they heard a loud bang and felt vibrations about 20 minutes into the flight from St. George to Phoenix. Jackson says the pilot then made a slow turn over the Grand Canyon and the plane returned safely to the airport, where the pilot told the passengers the cause was a detached piece of cowling. SkyWest spokeswoman Marissa Snow said the Bombardier CRJ200 regional jet returned to the airport due to an engine warning. ( Don Bumps via AP)

ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) — Two passengers on a SkyWest flight in southern Utah say a piece of the plane’s engine cover fell off midflight.

Scott Jackson and Don Bumps say they heard a loud bang and felt vibrations about 20 minutes into the flight from St. George to Phoenix on Friday.

Jackson says the pilot then made a slow turn over the Grand Canyon and the plane returned safely to the airport, where the pilot told the passengers the cause was a detached piece of cowling.

SkyWest spokeswoman Marissa Snow said the Bombardier CRJ200 regional jet returned to the airport due to an engine warning. She could not confirm an exact cause of the issue.

She says no one was hurt and the airline is working to get passengers on another flight to Phoenix.